Refrigerator

ABSTRACT

A refrigerator in which a support connecting both rear ends of a rail assembly to each other is provided to maintain a state in which the rail assembly is perpendicular to a support. Thus, when a slidable door is closed, it may reduce the likelihood of a gap between the door and a cabinet from occurring so that the door is closely attached to the cabinet.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 and 35U.S.C. 365 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2011-0103976 (filed onOct. 12, 2011), which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to refrigerator technology.

BACKGROUND

In general, refrigerators are home appliances for storing foods at a lowtemperature in an inner storage space covered by a refrigerator door.That is, refrigerators cool the inside of the storage space using coolair generated by heat-exchanging with a refrigerant circulating arefrigeration cycle to store foods in an optimum state.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a refrigerator includes a main body defining a storagespace and a sliding door disposed at the storage space and configured toslide away from and toward the storage space to open and close thestorage space. The refrigerator also includes a pair of rail assembliesthat are configured to guide sliding of the sliding door and thatinclude a first rail assembly disposed at a first side of the main bodyand a second rail assembly disposed at a second side of the main bodythat is opposite of the first side of the main body. A front end of thefirst rail assembly is connected to the sliding door and a front end ofthe second rail assembly is connected to the sliding door. Therefrigerator further includes a support connecting a rear end of thefirst rail assembly to a rear end of the second rail assembly. The rearend of the first rail assembly is opposite of the front end of the firstrail assembly and the rear end of the second rail assembly is oppositeof the front end of the second rail assembly.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Forexample, the first rail assembly may include a first rail unit thatextends in multiple stages and a first rail connector mounted on thefirst rail unit. In this example, the second rail assembly may include asecond rail unit that extends in multiple stages and a second railconnector mounted on the second rail unit. Further, in this example, thefirst rail connector may be connected to a first side of a back surfaceof the sliding door and the second rail connector may be connected to asecond side of the back surface of the sliding door.

In some implementations, a front end of the first rail unit may beconnected to a first end of a frame disposed on the sliding door and afront end of the second rail unit may be connected to a second end ofthe frame disposed on the sliding door. In these implementations, thesecond end of the frame may be opposite of the first end of the frame.

In some examples, the refrigerator may include a frame that connects thefirst rail unit to the second rail unit and that is disposed on a backsurface of the sliding door. In these examples, the frame, the first andsecond rail units, and the support may be coupled to each other todefine a square frame shape.

In some implementations, the refrigerator may include a first supportmounting part on which the support is mounted on a rear end of the firstrail connector and a second support mounting part on which the supportis mounted on a rear end of the second rail connector. In theseimplementations, the first support mounting part may include a firstinsertion hole in which a first insertion end protruding from thesupport is inserted and the second support mounting part may include asecond insertion hole in which a second insertion end protruding fromthe support is inserted.

In addition, the refrigerator may include a first bent part that isdisposed at the first insertion end, that is bent downward, and thatreceives a screw passing through the first support mounting part. Therefrigerator also may include a second bent part that is disposed at thesecond insertion end, that is bent downward, and that receives a screwpassing through the second support mounting part. Further, the supportmay be fixed and mounted to the first rail connector by a screw coupledto pass through the first support mounting part and the support may befixed and mounted to the second rail connector by a screw coupled topass through the second support mounting part.

In some examples, the refrigerator may include a first stabilizingmember mounting part disposed on the first rail connector and a secondstabilizing member mounting part disposed on the second rail connector.In these examples, the refrigerator may include a stabilizing memberconfigured to reduce shaking of the sliding door when the sliding dooris withdrawn. Further, in these examples, a first end of the stabilizingmember may be connected to the first stabilizing member mounting partand a second end of the stabilizing member may be connected to thesecond stabilizing member mounting part.

The stabilizing member may include a first pinion rotatably fixed to thefirst stabilizing member mounting part, a second pinion rotatably fixedto the second stabilizing member mounting part, and a shaft connectingthe first pinion to the second pinion. The first stabilizing membermounting part may have a mounting hole in which the first pinion isrotatably mounted and the second stabilizing member mounting part mayhave a mounting hole in which the second pinion is rotatably mounted.

In some implementations, a first shaft insertion part configured toreceive a first end of the shaft may extend inward from the first pinionand a second shaft insertion part configured to receive a second end ofthe shaft may extend inward from the second pinion. In theseimplementations, the first shaft insertion part may be disposed so thatthe shaft is horizontally shaken in a state where the first end of theshaft is received in the first shaft insertion part and the second shaftinsertion part may be disposed so that the shaft is horizontally shakenin a state where the second end of the shaft is received in the secondshaft insertion part. Also, in these implementations, when the shaft ismounted, the shaft may be inserted first into the first shaft insertionpart of the first pinion, and then may be inserted into the second shaftinsertion part of the second pinion and fixed.

A basket configured to receive one or more food items may be seated onthe first rail connector and the second rail connector. Also, the firstrail assembly may include a first rail holder on which the first railunit is mounted and the second rail assembly may include a second railholder on which the second rail unit is mounted. The first rail holdermay be fixed to a first inner wall of the storage space and the secondrail holder may be fixed to a second inner wall of the storage space.

In some examples, a first withdrawal rail may be part of the first railunit and may be withdrawn when the first rail unit is withdrawn. Inthese examples, a second withdrawal rail may be part of the second railunit and may be withdrawn when the second rail unit is withdrawn.Further, in these examples, a first fixing part may be disposed on thefirst rail connector, may extend downward from the first rail connector,and may insert downward from an upper side into a side of the firstwithdrawal rail. In addition, in these examples, a second fixing partmay be disposed on the second rail connector, may extend downward fromthe second rail connector, and may insert downward from an upper sideinto a side of the second withdrawal rail.

In another aspect, a refrigerator includes a refrigerating compartment,a freezing compartment, and a barrier that separates the refrigeratingcompartment from the freezing compartment. The refrigerator alsoincludes a sliding door disposed at the freezing compartment andconfigured to slide away from and toward the freezing compartment toopen and close the freezing compartment. The refrigerator furtherincludes a frame disposed on a back surface of the sliding door thatfaces the freezing compartment, a first rail assembly disposed at afirst side of the freezing compartment, and a second rail assemblydisposed at a second side of the freezing compartment that is oppositeof the first side of the freezing compartment. A front end of the firstrail assembly is connected to a first end of the frame disposed on theback surface of the sliding door and a front end of the second railassembly is connected to a second end of the frame disposed on the backsurface of the sliding door that is opposite of the first end of theframe. In addition, the refrigerator includes a support that connects arear end of the first rail assembly to a rear end of the second railassembly. The rear end of the first rail assembly is opposite of thefront end of the first rail assembly and the rear end of the second railassembly is opposite of the front end of the second rail assembly. Theframe, the first rail assembly, the second rail assembly, and thesupport are coupled to each other to define a square frame shape.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Forexample, the first rail assembly may include a first rail unit thatextends in multiple stages and a first rail connector mounted on thefirst rail unit. In this example, the second rail assembly may include asecond rail unit that extends in multiple stages and a second railconnector mounted on the second rail unit. Further, in this example, thefirst rail connector may be connected to the first end of the frame andthe second rail connector may be connected to the second end of theframe.

In some implementations, the refrigerator may include a firststabilizing member mounting part disposed on the first rail assembly, asecond stabilizing member mounting part disposed on the second railassembly, and a stabilizing member configured to reduce shaking of thesliding door when the sliding door is withdrawn. In theseimplementations, a first end of the stabilizing member may be connectedto the first stabilizing member mounting part and a second end of thestabilizing member may be connected to the second stabilizing membermounting part.

In some examples, the stabilizing member may include a first pinionrotatably fixed to the first stabilizing member mounting part, a secondpinion rotatably fixed to the second stabilizing member mounting part,and a shaft connecting the first pinion to the second pinion. In theseexamples, the first stabilizing member mounting part may have a mountinghole in which the first pinion is rotatably mounted and the secondstabilizing member mounting part may have a mounting hole in which thesecond pinion is rotatably mounted.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will beapparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a refrigerator with a dooropened.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a refrigerator.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a coupling structurebetween a sliding door and a rail assembly.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating coupling between arail connector and a support.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a coupling structurebetween the support and the rail connector.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the rail assembly.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a state in which the rail assembly isassembled.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Refrigerators may be classified according to a position of a storagespace and a position and shape of a door. In the present disclosure, abottom freeze type refrigerator in which a freezing compartment isprovided at a lower side, and a refrigerating compartment is provided atan upper side is described as an example. However, the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto and the disclosed techniques may beapplied to all types of refrigerators including a door.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example refrigerator with a door opened. As shownin FIG. 1, a refrigerator 1 includes a main body 10 having a storagespace therein. An outer appearance of the refrigerator 1 is defined bythe main body 10. Also, a door 20 for covering the storage space isprovided on a front surface of the main body 10.

The door 20 may be withdrawably provided in a drawer type. For this, thedoor 20 is connected to an inner sidewall of the main body 10 by a railassembly 30. The rail assembly 30 may extend in multiple stages. Also,the rail assembly 30 has one side fixed to the main body 10 and theother side fixed to a back surface of the door 20 or a door frame 22supporting the door 20.

A general rail may be used as the rail assembly 30. In the rail assembly30, ball bearings are vertically disposed between guides formed of ametal material so that the rail assembly 30 is slidably withdrawable.Also, the rail assembly 30 is disposed between the inner sidewall of themain body 10 and a basket 40.

The basket 40 is mounted between left and right rail assemblies 30. Thebasket 40 is recessed downward to receive one or more food items, suchas vegetables or fruits. Also, an inner space of the basket 40 may beadjusted by a barrier 42 partitioning the inner space of the basket 40.

Thus, when the door 20 is withdrawn, the rail assemblies 30 extend sothat the basket 40 is withdrawn together with the door 20. As the basket40 is withdrawn, an opened top surface of the basket 40 is exposed toallow a user to access food items.

When the door 20 of the refrigerator 1 is assembled, the rail assemblies30 are connected to a frame mounted on a back surface of the door 20.Here, the rail assemblies 30 are disposed on both sides of the door 20,and a front end of each of the rail assemblies 30 is fixed. Thus, beforeor during the assembly of the door 20, a front end of each of the railassembles 30 may not be fixed, which may cause shaking of the railassembles 30. As a result, the rail assembles 30 may become deformed.

Thus, if the rail assembles 30 are not perpendicular to the back surfaceof the door 20, a gap may occur between the door 20 and the main body 10when the door 20 is closed. Thus, the slidable door 20 may not besmoothly withdrawn, or cool air may leak through the gap between thedoor 20 and the main body 10.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example refrigerator.

Referring to FIG. 2, a refrigerator 100 includes a main body 110defining a storage space and a door for opening or closing the storagespace defined in the main body 110. An outer appearance of therefrigerator 100 is defined by the main body 110 and the door.

An inner space of the main body 110 is vertically partitioned by abarrier. Thus, a refrigerating compartment 112 is defined at an upperside, and a freezing compartment 114 is defined at a lower side. Also,the door may include a refrigerating compartment door for opening orclosing the refrigerating compartment 112 and a freezing compartmentdoor 120 for opening or closing the freezing compartment 114.

The refrigerating compartment door may be constituted by a pair ofdoors. The pair of doors may be rotatably mounted on both left and rightsides of a front surface of the main body 110, respectively. Thus, thepair of refrigerating compartment doors may be rotated to open or closethe refrigerating compartment 112.

The freezing compartment door 120 may be slidably withdrawn to open orclose the freezing compartment 114 (hereinafter, the freezingcompartment door 120 is referred to as a “sliding door 120”). Thesliding door 120 may be applied to all slidable doors used inrefrigerators (or other appliances) in accordance with a configurationof the refrigerators.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example coupling structure between the slidingdoor and a rail assembly.

Referring to FIG. 3, a door frame 122 and rail assemblies 300 disposedon both left and right sides of the door frame 122 are disposed on aback surface of the sliding door 120.

The door frame 122 may extend in a horizontal direction to connect therail assemblies 300 to the sliding door 120. Also, the door frame 122 isfixed to the back surface of the sliding door 120. Further, front endsof the rail assemblies 300 are fixedly mounted on both side ends of thedoor frame 122, respectively.

Each of the rail assemblies may include a rail unit 400 extending inmultiple stages, a rail holder 500 for fixing the rail unit 400 to theinside of the freezing compartment 114, and a rail connector 600 forconnecting the rail unit 400 to the door frame 122. A shaking preventionmember 700 for reducing (e.g., preventing) shaking of the sliding door120 when the sliding door 120 is withdrawn and a support 800 forreducing (e.g., preventing) shaking and/or deformation of the railassembly 300 may be further provided between the rail assemblies 300. Adetailed configuration of the rail assembly 300 will be described below.

The door frame 122, the rail assembly 300, and the support 800 arecompletely assembled to define a square frame shape. Also, the support800 may be maintained perpendicular to the rail unit 400 or the railconnector 600 until the square frame shape is fixedly mounted on thesliding door 120.

In the state where the rail assembly 300 is mounted, a basket 200 may bemounted. The basket 200 defines an upwardly opened receiving space. Thebasket 200 may be seated on the rail connector 600 of the rail assembly300. Thus, when the sliding door 120 is withdrawn, the sliding door 120may be withdrawn together with the basket 200 to allow a user to receivefoods.

Also, the rail holder 500 disposed on the outermost side of the railassembly 300 may be fixedly mounted on each of inner left and rightwalls of the freezing compartment 114 so that the sliding door 120 issupported in a state where the sliding door 120 is slidably withdrawablein front and rear directions.

Hereinafter, the rail assembly will be described in additional detailwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 4 illustrates example coupling between the rail connector and thesupport. FIG. 5 illustrates an example coupling structure between thesupport and the rail connector. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of theexample rail assembly.

Referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, the rail holder 500 is mounted on each of theinner left and right walls of the freezing compartment 114. The railholder 500 may be injection-molded using a plastic material. A railmounting part 510 on which the rail unit 400 is mounted is recessedinward from a central portion of the rail holder 500. The rail mountingpart 510 extends from a front end of the rail holder 500 up to a rearend so that the rail unit 400 is inserted from a front side and thenmounted.

A rack gear 520 is disposed under the rail mounting part 510. The rackgear 520 is engaged with a pinion 710 that will be described below toguide movement of the pinion 710. Also, the rack gear 520 extends from afront end of the rail holder 500 up to a rear end. The rack gear 520 mayprotrude inward so that gear teeth thereof face an upper side.

The rail unit 400 has a structure in which a fixed rail 410, a movingrail 420, and a withdrawal rail 430 are slidably connected to each otherso that the rail unit 400 is telescopically withdrawn in three stages.The rail unit 400 may have the same structure as a general multi-stagewithdrawal-type rail unit 400.

The rail connector 600 connected to the door frame 122 is disposed onthe rail unit 400. The rail connector 600 is fixedly mounted on thewithdrawal rail 430 so that the rail connector 600 is withdrawn togetherwith the sliding door 120 when the rail unit 400 extends.

The rail connector 600 extends in front and rear directions. Also, therail connector 600 is mounted on an inner surface of the withdrawal rail430. The rail connector 600 may have an inner surface and a top surfacewhich face each other. Also, the rail connector 600 provides a space inwhich the basket 200 is seated. A front end of the rail connector 600 isfixed to both left and right side ends of the door frame 122 and mountedon the rail unit 400 so that the rail connector 600 is withdrawntogether with the sliding door 120 when the sliding door 120 iswithdrawn.

The fixing part 610 for fixedly mounting the rail connector 600protrudes downward from the rail connector 600. Also, a shakingprevention member mounting part 620 on which the shaking preventionmember 700 is mounted extends downward at a rear side of the fixing part610. The shaking prevention member mounting part 620 has a mounting hole622 in which a pinion 710 that will be described below is mounted.

A support mounting part 630 for mounting the support 800 is disposedabove the mounting hole 622. The support mounting part 630 is disposedon a rear end of the rail connector 600. Also, the support mounting part630 has an insertion hole 632 in which a fixing end 810 of the support800 is inserted and a first screw hole 634 passing through the railconnector 600 and coupled to the support 800. The insertion hole 632 maybe defined in both sides with respect to the first screw hole 634 tolengthily extend in a vertical direction.

The support 800 may have a length enough to connect the rail connectors600 to each other. Also, the support 800 has a sectional shape having asquare shape or a shape corresponding to the square shape. Also, aprotruding fixing end 810 is disposed on each of both left and rightends of the support 800. The fixing end 810 extends from each of bothleft and right surfaces of the support 800 and is inserted into theinsertion hole 632.

Also, a bent part 820 bent downward between the fixing ends 810 tocontact a side surface of the rail connector 600 when the support 800 ismounted is further provided on each of both left and right ends of thesupport 800. A second screw hole 822 in which a screw is coupled isfurther provided in the bent part 820. Here, the second screw hole 822may be defined in a position corresponding to that of the first screwhole 634. Thus, when the support 800 is mounted, screws S maysuccessively pass through the first screw hole 634 and the second screwhole 822 to secure the support 800. The bent part 820 may be provided asa separate member. Alternatively, the bent part 820 may be fixed to eachof both ends of the support by a screw.

The shaking prevention member 700 is disposed under the support 800. Theshaking prevention member 700 may include the pinion 710 rotated bybeing linked with the rack gear 520 and a shaft 720 connecting both leftand right pinions 710 to each other. The pinion 710 is rotatably fixedto the mounting hole 622. Also, a shaft insertion part 712 in which theshaft 720 is inserted is disposed on the pinion 710. The shaft 720 isinserted into the shaft insertion part 712 and then moved and fixed toan adequate position.

Thus, when the sliding door 120 is withdrawn, the rail connector 600 maybe moved together with the sliding door 120. The pinion 710 connected tothe rail connector 600 may be withdrawn together while being moved alongthe rack gear 520. Thus, both left and right rail units 400 may extendby the same distance at the same time.

Hereinafter, an effect of the refrigerator having the above-describedstructure will be described.

FIG. 7 illustrates a state in which the example rail assembly isassembled.

Referring to FIG. 7, the rail assembly 300 may have a square frame shapeon the whole by the coupling of the door frame 122 and the support 800.

For this, the assembled rail unit 400 is fixed and mounted on the railholder 500. Also, the rail connector 600 is mounted on the withdrawalrail 430 of the rail unit 400. In this state, the rail connector 600 isconnected to each of both left and right ends of the door frame 122.

When the rail connector 600 is connected to the door frame 122, thepinion 710 is mounted on the mounting hole 622, and both ends of theshaft 720 are mounted on the pinions 710, respectively. Thus, both leftand right pinions 710 may be rotatable.

Then, the support 800 is mounted on the rail connector 600. Each of bothfixing ends 810 of the support 800 are inserted into the insertion hole632. Here, the bent part 820 of the support 800 contacts the railconnector 600. In this state, the screw S is coupled to the railconnector 600. The screw S passes through the first screw hole 634 andthe second screw hole 822 and is coupled to the rail connector 600.

Thus, the support 800 is fixed to the rail connector 600 by the screw S.Here, the support 800 may be maintained in the fixed state without beingrotated by the pair of fixing ends 810.

In this state, the door frame 122 and the rail assembly 300 may have asquare frame shape on the whole. The rail assembly 300 has a front endconnected to the door frame 122 and a rear end connected to the support800 to reduce (e.g., prevent) shaking of the rail assembly 300vertically or horizontally.

Thus, the support 800 and the rail connector 600 may be maintainedperpendicular to each other. And, the door frame 122, the rail assembly300, and the support 800 may be maintained in the square frame shape onthe whole. Therefore, this configuration may reduce (e.g., prevent)deformation of the rail assembly 300 by a change of the mounted positionof the rail assembly 300 before and after the assembly of the slidingdoor 120 or during the mounting of the rail assembly 300.

In the refrigerator and refrigerator door, the front end of each of bothleft and right rail assemblies is connected to the frame, and the rearend of the rail assembly is supported by the support 800.

Also, the rail assembly, the frame, and the support may have the squareframe shape. Thus, the square-shaped configuration may reduce (e.g.,prevent) change of the position and shape of the rail assembly duringthe assembly of the rail assembly or before and after the rail assemblyis assembled with the door. Also, the slidable withdrawal of the doormay be more stable.

Thus, the rail assembly may be maintained in the designed position. And,after the door is assembled and mounted, the door may be closelyattached to the main body to reduce (e.g., prevent) a gap from occurringby the deformation. Therefore, the door may be stably operated and itmay effectively reduce (e.g., prevent) cool air from leaking.

Although implementations have been described with reference to a numberof illustrative examples thereof, it should be understood that numerousother modifications and implementations can be devised by those skilledin the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principlesof this disclosure. More particularly, various variations andmodifications are possible in the component parts and/or arrangements ofthe subject combination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure,the drawings and the appended claims. In addition to variations andmodifications in the component parts and/or arrangements, alternativeuses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A refrigerator comprising: a main body defining astorage space; a sliding door disposed at the storage space andconfigured to slide away from and toward the storage space to open andclose the storage space; a pair of rail assemblies that are configuredto guide sliding of the sliding door and that include a first railassembly disposed at a first side of the main body and a second railassembly disposed at a second side of the main body that is opposite ofthe first side of the main body, a front end of the first rail assemblybeing connected to the sliding door and a front end of the second railassembly being connected to the sliding door; and a support connecting arear end of the first rail assembly to a rear end of the second railassembly, the rear end of the first rail assembly being opposite of thefront end of the first rail assembly and the rear end of the second railassembly being opposite of the front end of the second rail assembly. 2.The refrigerator according to claim 1: wherein the first rail assemblycomprises: a first rail unit that extends in multiple stages; and afirst rail connector mounted on the first rail unit, the first railconnector being connected to a first side of a back surface of thesliding door; and wherein the second rail assembly comprises: a secondrail unit that extends in multiple stages; and a second rail connectormounted on the second rail unit, the second rail connector beingconnected to a second side of the back surface of the sliding door. 3.The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein a front end of the firstrail unit is connected to a first end of a frame disposed on the slidingdoor and a front end of the second rail unit is connected to a secondend of the frame disposed on the sliding door, the second end of theframe being opposite of the first end of the frame.
 4. The refrigeratoraccording to claim 2, further comprising a frame that connects the firstrail unit to the second rail unit and that is disposed on a back surfaceof the sliding door, wherein the frame, the first and second rail units,and the support are coupled to each other to define a square frameshape.
 5. The refrigerator according to claim 2, further comprising afirst support mounting part on which the support is mounted on a rearend of the first rail connector and a second support mounting part onwhich the support is mounted on a rear end of the second rail connector.6. The refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein the first supportmounting part comprises a first insertion hole in which a firstinsertion end protruding from the support is inserted and the secondsupport mounting part comprises a second insertion hole in which asecond insertion end protruding from the support is inserted.
 7. Therefrigerator according to claim 6, further comprising a first bent partthat is disposed at the first insertion end, that is bent downward, andthat receives a screw passing through the first support mounting partand a second bent part that is disposed at the second insertion end,that is bent downward, and that receives a screw passing through thesecond support mounting part.
 8. The refrigerator according to claim 6,wherein the support is fixed and mounted to the first rail connector bya screw coupled to pass through the first support mounting part and thesupport is fixed and mounted to the second rail connector by a screwcoupled to pass through the second support mounting part.
 9. Therefrigerator according to claim 2, further comprising: a firststabilizing member mounting part disposed on the first rail connector; asecond stabilizing member mounting part disposed on the second railconnector; and a stabilizing member configured to reduce shaking of thesliding door when the sliding door is withdrawn, a first end of thestabilizing member being connected to the first stabilizing membermounting part and a second end of the stabilizing member being connectedto the second stabilizing member mounting part.
 10. The refrigeratoraccording to claim 9, wherein the stabilizing member comprises a firstpinion rotatably fixed to the first stabilizing member mounting part, asecond pinion rotatably fixed to the second stabilizing member mountingpart, and a shaft connecting the first pinion to the second pinion. 11.The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein the first stabilizingmember mounting part has a mounting hole in which the first pinion isrotatably mounted and the second stabilizing member mounting part has amounting hole in which the second pinion is rotatably mounted.
 12. Therefrigerator according to claim 10, wherein a first shaft insertion partconfigured to receive a first end of the shaft extends inward from thefirst pinion and a second shaft insertion part configured to receive asecond end of the shaft extends inward from the second pinion, whereinthe first shaft insertion part is disposed so that the shaft ishorizontally shaken in a state where the first end of the shaft isreceived in the first shaft insertion part, wherein the second shaftinsertion part is disposed so that the shaft is horizontally shaken in astate where the second end of the shaft is received in the second shaftinsertion part, and when the shaft is mounted, the shaft is insertedfirst into the first shaft insertion part of the first pinion, and thenis inserted into the second shaft insertion part of the second pinionand is fixed.
 13. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein abasket configured to receive one or more food items is seated on thefirst rail connector and the second rail connector.
 14. The refrigeratoraccording to claim 2, further comprising: a first withdrawal rail thatis part of the first rail unit and that is withdrawn when the first railunit is withdrawn; a second withdrawal rail that is part of the secondrail unit and that is withdrawn when the second rail unit is withdrawn;a first fixing part that is disposed on the first rail connector, thatextends downward from the first rail connector, and that insertsdownward from an upper side into a side of the first withdrawal rail;and a second fixing part that is disposed on the second rail connector,that extends downward from the second rail connector, and that insertsdownward from an upper side into a side of the second withdrawal rail.15. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the first railassembly further comprises a first rail holder on which the first railunit is mounted, the first rail holder being fixed to a first inner wallof the storage space; and wherein the second rail assembly furthercomprises a second rail holder on which the second rail unit is mounted,the second rail holder being fixed to a second inner wall of the storagespace.
 16. A refrigerator comprising: a refrigerating compartment; afreezing compartment; a barrier that separates the refrigeratingcompartment from the freezing compartment; a sliding door disposed atthe freezing compartment and configured to slide away from and towardthe freezing compartment to open and close the freezing compartment; aframe disposed on a back surface of the sliding door that faces thefreezing compartment; a first rail assembly disposed at a first side ofthe freezing compartment, a front end of the first rail assembly beingconnected to a first end of the frame disposed on the back surface ofthe sliding door; a second rail assembly disposed at a second side ofthe freezing compartment that is opposite of the first side of thefreezing compartment, a front end of the second rail assembly beingconnected to a second end of the frame disposed on the back surface ofthe sliding door that is opposite of the first end of the frame; and asupport that connects a rear end of the first rail assembly to a rearend of the second rail assembly, the rear end of the first rail assemblybeing opposite of the front end of the first rail assembly and the rearend of the second rail assembly being opposite of the front end of thesecond rail assembly, wherein the frame, the first rail assembly, thesecond rail assembly, and the support are coupled to each other todefine a square frame shape.
 17. The refrigerator according to claim 16:wherein the first rail assembly comprises: a first rail unit thatextends in multiple stages; and a first rail connector mounted on thefirst rail unit, the first rail connector being connected to the firstend of the frame; and wherein the second rail assembly comprises: asecond rail unit that extends in multiple stages; and a second railconnector mounted on the second rail unit, the second rail connectorbeing connected to the second end of the frame.
 18. The refrigeratoraccording to claim 16, further comprising: a first stabilizing membermounting part disposed on the first rail assembly; a second stabilizingmember mounting part disposed on the second rail assembly; and astabilizing member configured to reduce shaking of the sliding door whenthe sliding door is withdrawn, a first end of the stabilizing memberbeing connected to the first stabilizing member mounting part and asecond end of the stabilizing member being connected to the secondstabilizing member mounting part.
 19. The refrigerator according toclaim 18, wherein the stabilizing member comprises a first pinionrotatably fixed to the first stabilizing member mounting part, a secondpinion rotatably fixed to the second stabilizing member mounting part,and a shaft connecting the first pinion to the second pinion.
 20. Therefrigerator according to claim 19, wherein the first stabilizing membermounting part has a mounting hole in which the first pinion is rotatablymounted and the second stabilizing member mounting part has a mountinghole in which the second pinion is rotatably mounted.